Field
Implementations of the present disclosure generally relate to methods for removing oxide layers from substrates, such as semiconductor substrates.
Description of the Related Art
Native oxides are oxygen-containing layers which may form on the surface of a substrate. Native oxides may undesirably reduce the electrical conductivity of materials on which the native oxides are formed, and therefore, it may be desirable to remove native oxides in some circumstances. While some methods exist to remove native oxides, these conventional methods either lack selectivity with respect to other materials on the substrate, or are unable to sufficiently remove native oxides from high aspect ratio features.
Therefore, there is a need for improved methods of removing oxide materials.